On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:"The first of people against whom judgment will be pronounced on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who died a martyr. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: 'And what did you do about them?' He will say: 'I fought for You until I died a martyr.' He will say: 'You have lied - you did but fight that it might be said [of you]: 'He is courageous.'' And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man who has studied [religious] knowledge and has taught it and who used to recite the Qur'an. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: 'And what did you do about them?' He will say: 'I studied [religious] knowledge and I taught it and I recited the Qur'an for Your sake.' He will say: 'You have lied - you did but study [religious] knowledge that it might be said [of you]: 'He is learned.'' And you recited the Qur'an that it might be said [of you]: 'He is a reciter.' And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man whom Allah had made rich and to whom He had given all kinds of wealth. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: 'And what did you do about them?' He will say: 'I left no path [un-trodden] in which You like money to be spent without spending in it for Your sake.' He will say: 'You have lied - you did but do so that it might be said [of you]: 'He is open-handed.'' And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire."[Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa'i)]

On the authority of Uqbah ibn Amir (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:"Your Lord delights at a shepherd who, on the peak of a mountain crag, gives the call to prayer and prays. Then Allah (glorified and exalted be He) will say: 'Look at this servant of Mine, he gives the call to prayer and performs the prayers; he is in awe of Me. I have forgiven My servant [his sins] and have admitted him to Paradise.'"[An-Nasa'i with a good chain of authorities]

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said:"A prayer performed by someone who has not recited the Essence of the Qur'an (1) during it is deficient (and he repeated the word three times), incomplete."Someone said to Abu Hurayrah: [Even though] we are behind the imam? (2)He said: Recite it to yourself, for I have heard the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be up on him) say:"Allah (mighty and sublime be He), had said: 'I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. When the servant says: 'Al-hamdu lillahi rabbi l-alamin' (3), Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: 'My servant has praised Me.' And when he says: 'Ar-rahmani r-rahim' (4), Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: 'My servant has extolled Me,' and when he says: 'Maliki yawmi d-din' (5), Allah says: 'My servant has glorified Me' - and on one occasion He said: 'My servant has submitted to My power.' And when he says: 'Iyyaka na budu wa iyyaka nasta in' (6), He says: 'This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.' And when he says: 'Ihdina s-sirata l- mustaqim, siratal ladhina an amta alayhim ghayril-maghdubi alayhim wa la d-dallin' (7), He says: 'This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.'"(1) Surat al-Fatihah, the first surah (chapter) of the Qur'an.(2) i.e. standing behind the imam (leader) listening to him reciting al-Fatihah.(3) "Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds."(4) "The Merciful, the Compassionate."(5) "Master of the Day of Judgement."(6) "It is You we worship and it is You we ask for help."(7) "Guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favors, not of those against whom You are angry, nor of those who are astray."[Muslim (also by Malik, at-Tirmidhi, Abu-Dawud, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah)]

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said:"Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says:'The first of his actions for which a servant of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayers.' If they are in order, then he will have prospered and succeeded; and if they are wanting, then he will have failed and lost. If there is something defective in his obligatory prayers, the Lord (glorified and exalted be He) will say: 'See if My servant has any supererogatory prayers with which may be completed that which was defective in his obligatory prayers.' Then the rest of his actions will be judged in like fashion."[At-Tirmidhi (also by Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah and Ahmad).]

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said:"Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says:'Fasting is Mine and it is I Who give reward for it. [A man] gives up his sexual passion, his food and his drink for My sake.' Fasting is like a shield, and he who fasts has two joys: a joy when he breaks his fast and a joy when he meets his Lord. The change in the breath of the mouth of him who fasts is better in Allah's estimation than the smell of musk."[Bukhari (also by Muslim, Malik, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).]